title: Stakeholder perceptions of obesity-prevention strategies: a comparison of geographically diverse rural counties.
abstract: Understanding barriers and facilitators to strategies directed at obesity-prevention policy change, particularly in rural, southern US counties where obesity is more prevalent, is important so that strategies deemed most winnable can be pursued. As such, community stakeholders and policy makers were interviewed using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Common Community Measures for Obesity Prevention Assessment in 2 rural, geographically diverse regions of North Carolina. Stakeholder interviews revealed many similarities despite population differences and unique geographic challenges to each region. In both Western and Eastern North Carolina, strategies involving increasing opportunities for physical activity were deemed the most winnable, whereas strategies incentivizing businesses to locate in underserved areas and limiting advertisements of unhealthy food and beverages were deemed the least winnable. Differences among Western and Eastern North Carolina regions revolved around zoning, geographic constraints, and topographically influenced local food strategies. These findings add to the literature by systemically identifying similarities and differences among geographically diverse rural communities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Leisure, and Exercise Science, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina (Drs West and Weddell); Public Health Institute and Network for a Healthy California, Sacramento, CA (Dr Whetstone); and Department of Public Health (Dr Jilcott Pitts), East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Stephanie T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: Melissa S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Weddell
authors.forename: Lauren M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Whetstone
authors.forename: Stephanie B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Jilcott Pitts
mesh_terms: D000288:Administrative Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012424:Rural Population